arctic tale

it was amazing how the producers managed to capture the close up shots of the bears and the walruses. some of the scenes really made one wonder how it could ever be done! eg, baby polar bears barely being borned, walruses mating, etc... from this aspect, it was certainly an eye-opening and at the same time educational experience for me.

the way the story was told, it touched the hearts of many viewers. polar bears and walruses that were to become the key characters of the show (never mind that they were actually composite animals captured and stitched together to make a congruent story) were given names. those without names were the `supporting-casts' and it's kinda expected that in the end, they either leave the show quietly or they get killed - eg by starvation or became prey to a stronger predator... and by naming the key characters, the producers had successfully put a human front to the animals. and by showing scenes that touches one's more affective side such as animal mating, mother protecting the young, training the young, etc. and i could hear many sniffles amongst the audiences when something tragic happen to the animals. often, i had to remind myself that - hey, this is the animal world, it's survival of the fittest. if you are weak, you die. simple as that...

nonetheless, the show did successfully bring across a more worrisome message - that of global warming, of how we human have contributed to it and how it is affecting the lives of many many other species of animals that share this fragile global ecosystem with us.

overall, i found it an educational experience. not as impactful as march of the penguin, but it has it's own charm. i do also wonder - did the producers actually let the polar bear cub die of hunger? if they did, are they not guilty of murder? they could have provided some food for the cub and saved it. ethical issues... i have no answers.